


Bookman and the Samurai

by DarnYouWithCoolNames



Series: Fairy Tales of D.Gray Man [1]
Category: D.Gray-man
Genre: Alternate Universe - Beauty and the Beast Fusion, Because Kanda steals him away, I Don't Even Know, I Tried, Lavi is playing hard to get, M/M, Please Don't Hate Me, Tyki wants Lavi, that won't happen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-05
Updated: 2017-06-05
Packaged: 2018-11-06 23:35:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11046681
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarnYouWithCoolNames/pseuds/DarnYouWithCoolNames
Summary: Lavi is a regular village boy, but he stands out because he's not like the rest of the village. He has red hair with an emerald green eye while his right eye is covered by an eye patch. He's the only one who likes to read and he lives with his only known relative, his grandfather. One day he finds his grandfather's horse and his grandfather was no where in sight. He then takes the horse and goes to find his grandfather. He ends up finding his grandfather, but what is the price he has to pay to save him?





	Bookman and the Samurai

**Author's Note:**

> I came up with this idea as I was watching Beauty and the Beast 2017 version. It just popped up and WHAM. One-shot idea. Have fun reading.

Once upon a time, there lived a grumpy and arrogant prince in a giant castle. Said man never wanted anything to do with his role as heir to the crown. He would rather train everyday with his sword, Mugen, to be a samurai. He was always forced to attend royal balls for the chance to find a nice wife and to have some fun for once.

One night, during a royal ball, a knock came from the front entrance. Wanting nothing to do with the flirtatious girls, the prince made his way to the doors. He opened the door to say an old lady wet from the storm. The lady herself was covered by a brown cloak. She looked up and stared at him in his eyes.

"Please... Let me in... The storm is too rough for me to stay in... Please give me some shelter..." The old lady asked. The prince scoffed and told her to go somewhere else.

"Don't judge someone by their looks, young prince..." Still the prince would not let her in. She frowned as she stood up in full height. The cloak fell to the ground as she started to glow. It turned out that she was the beautiful enchantress. The prince looked shocked but didn't stop glaring.

"You have no heart... You shall be cursed and the only way to break the curse is to find true love. You have until all the petals of the lotus flower fall. I wish you good luck..." She said as she disappeared. 

The prince began to see his hands become furry and his body begin to grow. He growled as he looked at a nearby mirror to see a beast. Screams echoed through the castle as everyone turned into furniture pieces. The last thing that happened was the prince ripping his portrait up into shreds as the night was forever ruined for everyone.

 

**~**********~**

 

There once was a boy who lived in a village. This boy wasn't like the rest of the village and had stood out; never part of the crowd. He had the brightest of red hair and the most shining of eyes. Or rather eye. His left eye was a brilliant shade of emerald green while his right eye was covered by a black eye patch. No one in the village knows why he has the eye patch, but that only adds to his strangeness. After all, he's the only one different from the rest of the village. What might the name of this peculiar boy you ask?

His name is Lavi.

It was a morning like any other day. Lavi woke up in his book filled room with the sun hitting his eyes. He gently smiled as he got up and got ready for the day. He picked up a black book and strode out of his house after waving goodbye to his grandfather. He made his way through the town, waving morning greetings to everyone who greeted him.

"Good morning, Lavi! Where might you be heading to this early in the morning?" Asked one of the many shop keepers in town.

"Oh I'm just heading to old man Doug to return a book of his. It's about two lovers whom no one ever thought would get together!" Lavi replied as he took a loaf of bread and left some coins for the lady.

"Sounds boring to me."

Lavi just shrugged and continued on his way to the only library in the village. He bought food items here and there as he finally reached the small library. He walked in and looked around the room for the librarian. He finally spotted him on top of the ladder.

"Good morning Mr. Doug! I'm here to return the book I borrowed!" Lavi said as he placed the book on top of the nearest desk.

"Ah. The only bookworm in the village. Good morning to you as well. So, how was the book?" Doug asked as he climbed back down the ladder. Lavi sighed as he leaned up against a shelf of books. He had a dreamy look on his face.

"It was wonderful! I love the part where the boy confesses his feelings for the girl and the girl replies with mutual feelings. I especially love the part where they ran away from their families just to be with each other... I wish I could have such a happy ending." Lavi said as he imagined what it would be like if he was in such a story. Doug chuckled lightly as he scanned over the bookshelves.

"Well, I do happen to have another book by the same author. If you'd like, I could lend you that one and another by your choice. Though I'm sure you have read most of these books already." Doug said as he picked out a green book from one of the shelves and handed it to Lavi.

"What's it about?" Lavi asked as he scanned through the other books.

"This one is a weird one. It's supposedly about the love story of two boys instead of a boy and girl. That's all I know from what's written on the back as a summary. I think you'll find some joy out of reading it." Doug said as he grabbed a sheet of paper and a quill. He wrote down the name of the book and Lavi signed his name next to it. After another moment, Lavi passed him another book and he wrote that down under the previous.

"That old book again? How many times have you read it?" Doug asked as he looked at Lavi with a curious expression. Lavi smiled and sighed happily.

"It would be the third time I've read this book. It's just so good! Thank you again Mr. Doug! I'll be sure to read the books by the next week or so!" Lavi said as he headed out. Lavi put the book he already read in his book bag and opened the green one to the first page to start reading. He made his way through the crowded streets once more that morning. He stopped by the gates of the village and looked out onto the vast lands before he turned back around and headed back to his house.

Just on the outskirts of the village were a huntsman and his trusty companion. The huntsman was a tall, well-toned man with tan skin and a mole under his left eye. He had long dark hair that was slightly curly. His companion was also tall and tan. He had shorter dark hair that was also curly. The huntsman was using a telescope to look at the unknowing redhead by the gates.

"There he is Neah. My soon to be wife." The huntsman said as he put the telescope away and looking back at his companion.

"But Tyki. That's the inventor's grandson... Isn't he a boy?" Neah asked as he looked at Tyki in confusion.

"Yes he is, however, he will simply be the submissive of us two."

"Wouldn't you rather prefer a lovely lady to be your beloved?"

"No lady will ever capture my heart as Lavi has... He just has this aura around him that makes my heart clench with want... And he's going to feel the same as soon as I make my move! Let's go, Neah!" Tyki said as he directed his horse to the village. Neah sighed as he followed Tyki into the village.

"Tyki!!" A couple of village girls screamed as he arrived. He spotted a splotch of red hair off in the distance. He jumped off his horse, making sure he splashed mud on the girls, and made his way through the crowd to the redhead. On his way he plucked a bouquet of flowers out of the hands of a florist and headed off without paying. Neah bowed to the florist and gave them some coins as an apology.

"Hey, you're reading a new book this time? What's it about?" A random villager asked as Lavi passed them. Lavi smiled as he glanced up quickly before looking back down.

"So far, it’s about a boy that lives in a village as a peasant and he dreams to one day meet his true love..." Lavi said dreamily. The villager giggled as Lavi continued his way. As the crowd finally dispersed, Tyki finally managed to catch up.

"Lavi!" Tyki called out as he stopped in front of the shorter and younger boy. The redhead stopped and looked up with a hint of grimace before replacing it with a small gentle smile.

"Hello there Tyki... How are you doing this fine morning?" Lavi asked as he bookmarked his page and turned his full attention to Tyki.

"I'm doing just fine, lovely. How about you?" Tyki asked as he tried to get closer to the younger male. Lavi tried to back away without offending Tyki, but Tyki just kept on trying to get closer.

"I'm well. I... I need to get back home now so... If you will..." Tyki ignored what the redhead said as he produced the bouquet of flowers for Lavi. Lavi looked at the bouquet in surprise and gently grabbed it.

"Thank you, but why are you giving it to me? Why not give it to the girl you love?" Lavi asked as he walked with Tyki back to his house.

"Hmm.... Let's just say that my beloved doesn't exactly know that I like them just yet." Tyki said as he glanced at the other. He smirked as he saw Lavi smile at the flowers.

"Hm? Then why don't you just tell her you like them? I doubt anyone would be right in their mind if they didn't like you back." Lavi giggled as they reached the front porch of his house. Tyki raised his eyebrow at the redhead and nodded.

"Alright then. Lavi, I really like you. I love you actually. Would you marry me?" Tyki asked pinning Lavi against the fence to his garden. Lavi laughed uncomfortably as he slipped past the arm that caged him. He climbed up the stairs as Tyki followed.

"I'm sorry Tyki, but I can't accept your proposal... I just don't feel the same way for you." 

"You just said anyone who didn't like me back isn’t right in their mind. You just called yourself crazy right now."

"You know what I meant Tyki... I'm sorry. Here. Give it to a nice lady who is willing to like you." Lavi said giving the bouquet back to Tyki and entered his house. He was about to close the door when Tyki stopped him. Tyki opened the door by force and grabbed Lavi's wrist.

"Listen lovely. I really am too far in love with you to just give up now. I will get your hand in marriage. You will become mine." Tyki said as he looked straight into Lavi's eye. Lavi pushed Tyki away and glared at him.

"I will not marry you. Nor will I be yours. Now leave, Tyki." 

Tyki sighed as he relented and left the younger male to glare daggers into his back. Lavi huffed as he closed the door and made his way through the town. 

"Mister Mikk, they'll say. Mister Mikk his little husband- UGH! Yeah right... Not me. Not today. Not ever." He said to himself.

He reached the gate where he looked out at the land before he went running out and up the nearby hill. There he fell back onto his back and looked up at the gray skies. He closed his eyes as he started to mumble to himself.

"I want something more than this provincial life... To adventure the great wide... Somewhere... And... For once to have someone understand." Lavi sighed as he looked out on the hill. After a few moments, he stood up and made his way home for the second time that day.

"I'm home Gramps!" Lavi said as he entered his home.

"Ah. Lavi, just in time. I was about to head out." Bookman said as he packed some items up.

"Where are you heading this time?" Lavi asked with a curious eye.

"I'm just heading to the next town real quick. Would you like anything?"

"You always ask me the same thing... Just get me a flower will you? Or a new book?"

"I asked the same thing and you answer the same thing over and over again... I guess I'll try and find you a book you haven't read yet. Or maybe a rare flower..."

"You don't have to get me anything you know..."

"Yeah, but you need to be a bit more needy."

"Whatever you say... When will you be back?"

"Some time by tomorrow. Or even late tonight if I'm lucky enough."

"It looks like there's going to be a storm... Will you be okay?"

"Of course I will. I'm not that weak for an old man." Lavi giggled as he helped him saddle the horse. Bookman hopped onto the horse and looked at Lavi once more.

"Please be careful out there..." Lavi said.

"I will. Don't worry." Bookman said as he messed Lavi's hair up more than it already was. Lavi waved him goodbye as he watched them disappear into the forest. 

That night, the storm got worse as Bookman made his way through the forest. Lightning stuck the tree in front of him and made the tree block the pathway. Bookman looked at the path and decided to take the path that was beside that one. As he made his way on the new trail, he noticed the temperature dropped significantly. He glanced around to see that the entire forest was covered in a thick sheet of white snow. Another glance around told him that he was being followed by wolves.

He rushed the horse to go faster. The wolves chased after the man and horse and lunged at them when they caught up. Bookman threw some needles at the wolves and paralyzed a few. It gave him enough time to escape into the gates of a giant castle. He let his horse eat some hay as he made his way into the castle. Looking around, he noticed it looked lived in instead of abandoned.

"Hello? Anyone here?" Bookman called out as he closed the doors behind him. He entered a living room where the fireplace was already lit.

"So there is someone here... I might as well warm up as I'm here..." He sat down and warmed himself up. After a while, he heard some whispers behind him and he looked back so see no one. He stood up and walked around. He ended up in the dining room where a dinner for one was set up. He sat down across from the food and looked around. Suddenly, a tea cup scooted closer to him. He narrowed his eyes and looked at the tea cup closer.

"Auntie Miranda and Klaud said not to talk or else I'll scare you... Y-you're not scared are you?" The tea cup asked not higher than a whisper. Bookman sat up straight before standing up and headed to the front door.

"I'm sorry for intruding, but I'll be heading out now!" Bookman said as he headed out. He spotted a small garden to the side and made his way over to it. There he found white roses. 

"I'll just take one of these back for Lavi..." As he was about to take a rose, his hand was yanked away by a larger and hairier hand. Bookman looked up to see narrowed black eyes and the last thing he saw before he was dragged away back into the castle was his horse galloping away into the forest.

 

**~**********~**

 

Lavi was tending to the garden when a loud neigh sounded from the gates of the village. Lavi immediately recognized the horse as his grandfather's horse. He rushed over to the horse and calmed him down.

"Calm boy... Calm. Where is Bookman?" Lavi asked as the horse nodded its head toward the forest. Lavi nodded as he ran into the house and grabbed a coat before jumping onto the horse's back.

"Come on boy, lead me to Gramps!"

The horse neighed and galloped back through the forest to the frozen winter woods. Inside the castle, there were a few voices talking with each other. One voice came from a candle holder. The other from a clock.

"Komui... Do you think Kanda will let the old man go?" The clock asked.

"Of course he will! I think." The candle holder said.

"You think."

"Well, I can't blame him for being mad at the man. He did try to take a rose from the garden without permission."

"Well... I guess so. But that doesn't mean he needs to keep him in the dungeon forever."

"I agree with you Reever!" Komui said as he hopped off the table and joined his friend on the ground.

"What did Kanda say the old man was getting the rose for again?" Reever asked.

"He said the man said it was for a person named Lavi. Or something like that."

Just then, the front doors were opened slowly. The two froze up and looked over to the door. A redhead poked their head inside and looked around. Hesitantly, the redhead took a step inside and closed the door behind them. The two took a closer look at the person and saw that it was a young boy.

"Reever! Reever! It's a young boy!" Komui said in a loud whisper.

"Yeah. I know. I'm blind you know. Not yet at least. What's got you so excited about a redheaded young boy?" Reever asked.

"He could be the one!" Reever looked at the other with an incredulous face.

"You think Kanda is into boys?"

"Well, he was never interested in any of the girls that came to the ball parties. I've never seen this boy at any of the balls. It might just be destiny!" Reever sighed in defeat and looked back to the boy. He looked around warily at his surroundings before stopping his eyes on the two objects on the ground.

"...Am I just hearing things? I thought I just heard voices over here... Unless it was you two that were talking..." The boy said as he crouched next to the clock and candle holder. A moment of silence past. He sighed and grabbed the candle holder.

"Great. Now I'm talking to inanimate objects. Great job..." He said as he held the candle holder in front of him for light. He walked around for a while until he found a staircase leading up. He climbed the staircase and found a little cell with a figure meditating in the corner.

"Gramps...? Is that you?" He asked as he walked up to the cell bars. The figure inside immediately opened his eyes at the voice.

"Lavi? What the hell are you doing here, you stupid child?!" Bookman said as he walked up to his grandson.

"I came to save you... What happened? Why are you locked up?" Lavi placed the candle holder down on a slab on the wall.

"There's no time. You need to leave now. If you don't, then he'll come back. Please Lavi. Leave me here and go. Save yourself."

"You know I can't do that. And who is he?"

"It doesn't matter. Now leave!"

"No! I won't go until I get you out of here!"

"There's no use. He won't be leaving anytime soon." A gruff voice said behind the redhead. Lavi spun to the source of the voice only to see a figure in the shadows. Lavi narrowed eyes at the figure and walked closer to it.

"Who are you? Why is my grandfather in a cell?" Lavi asked as the figure shifted so he was hidden even more.

"It doesn't matter who I am. And that old man is in the cell for thievery. He tried to steal a rose from the gardens."

"So you're saying that the punishment for stealing a single rose a lifetime in prison? Never mind... Please just let him go."

"Humph. If you can't see, he is my prisoner."

"Please! I'll do anything! Take me instead!"

"Lavi! Don't!" Bookman yelled as the other two ignored him.

"You? You're willing to take his place?"

"Lavi don't do this, please." Bookman pleaded with his grandson. Lavi just smiled sadly at him before putting on a determined face.

"If I did, would you let him go? Without any injuries mind you..." Lavi said. The figure thought for a moment before responding.

"Yes. Only if you promise to stay forever." That got Lavi curious. Lavi tilted his head and beckoned the other forward.

"Come into the light... I want to see you." Lavi waited as he heard the other drag his feet on the ground as if afraid to show what they looked like. Finally he quickly stepped out of the shadows and into the ray of moonlight. Lavi silently gasped as he took in the other's look. He had ripped clothes and fur all over their body. Their claws were about 5 inches long each finger. Their fangs were also fairly longer than any normal human and more... Beast like. Lavi stood determined and unafraid.

"Fine. Now let my gramps go..." Lavi said as he looked at the ground.

"Lavi..."

The beast quickly opened the cage and grabbed the old man by the arm. Bookman tried to get to Lavi as he was dragged back down the stairs. Lavi rushed to follow as he watched helplessly as his grandfather was dragged away.

"Wait! Lavi! I said wait you damn beast!" Bookman yelled struggling in the beast's grasps.

"G-gramps... Wait! Please wait." The beast ignored the pleas as he reached the front of the castle. He threw the man onto his horse and directed the horse to leave. The horse galloped away with the old man on its back. Lavi fell to his knees as he watched the silhouette of the two disappear into the forest. Behind him, the beast was talking to the candle holder he held just earlier.

"Kanda... Wouldn't it be nice if you let him live in one of the guest rooms? After all he has to stay here forever now..." Komui whispered to the beast. Kanda growled angrily as he walked up to the boy on the ground.

"You didn't even let me say goodbye... It was my last time ever seeing him and you didn't let me say goodbye!" Lavi said as he looked up at the beast. Feeling a bit guilty for his actions, he scratched his neck awkwardly before holding his hand out to the other. Lavi looked at the hand confused before giving a small smile and accepting his hand. 

"Let me show you to your room." The best said as he led the redhead up the main stairs and to the East Wing holding Komui as a light source. Looking at the other from the corner of his eye, he saw that the redhead was more curious than afraid of the castle and the surroundings. Komui nudged Kanda lightly.

"Talk to him!" Komui whispered as Kanda glared at him.

"Right... So what's your name?" Kanda asked the boy beside him. 

"Well... If you weren't listening earlier, my name is Lavi. What's your name? Unless you want me to call you Beast or You the entire time I'm here..."

"No! Just call me Kanda. And don't ever call me by my first name!" Kanda growled as Lavi looked at him confused.

"Your first name is Beast? Wait... That last name sounds Japanese... So your first name is Yuu?" Lavi asked.

"Don't. Call. Me. That. Ever again. Anyways... I hope you like it here." Lavi giggle at the awkward pause.

"The castle is your home now so you're free to go anywhere except for the West Wing." Kanda continued.

"Why not the West Wing?"

"Just because. This will be your room." He gestured to a room next to him. He opened the door to reveal a large bedroom with a single bed, a wardrobe, and a window. Lavi stepped into the room while Kanda watched him closely.

"Dinner is soon. I'll send someone to get you. You will join me. It's not a request." Kanda said as he closed the door leaving Lavi by himself in the room. Lavi sighed as he sat down on the bed and finally let the tears fall.

 

**~**********~**

 

"Who does that boy think he is? No one says no to me; Tyki Mikk! He even said it himself!" Tyki sighed as he leaned back in his chair in the tavern.

"Of course!" Neah said as he sipped on his jug of beer.

"To think that he rejected... Now why would he reject me? Is it... Because I'm not up to his standards?" Neah gasped as he listened to his friend.

"Why never! You are the manliest man there could ever be! Add in the fact that you're hansom, slick, and strong? You're the man every man wishes they could be! You're the man everyone admires! Who wouldn't like you Tyki?" Tyki smiled at his friend's words as he sat up straight.

"You're right! I'm sure that if I try again tomorrow, Lavi will surely say yes!" 

Suddenly, the doors were slammed open and Bookman walked in stiffly. Bookman took a seat as he looked around the tavern. He spotted Tyki looking at him and beckoned him forward.

"You're Tyki correct?" Bookman asked Tyki.

"Why yes I am. You're Lavi's grandfather aren't you?"

"Yes... I need some help. Lavi was taken by a beast. I need help saving him... Are you willing to help me?" 

"Oh? A beast now? Hm..."

"Tyki! Just think. If you save Lavi from this... 'Beast', then he might just fall for you right there and then! And you'll be able to get the approval of his guardian to marry him! It's killing two birds with one stone!" Neah whispered excitedly into Tyki's ears. Tyki smirked deviously and turned his full attention to the old man.

"Why of course I'll help! You just need to lead the way old man!" Bookman frowned disapprovingly at the nickname, but let it slide and led them into the woods.

As he tried to find the trail back to the castle, Tyki was getting impatient. Seeing the confused look on the old man's face, Tyki sighed frustrated. Neah looked between the two nervously as he knows what Tyki is planning on doing.

"Listen... I know you probably really want Lavi back as soon as possible, but I don't think she was really taken by a beast as you described. It could be that he simply ran away!" Tyki said as he leaned against a tree.

"... So you're saying you don't believe me? Why did you bother coming to help me then?" Bookman said narrowing his eyes at the man.

"I wanted to marry your grandson! Okay?! I was only help so that I can get him to fall for me and for you to approve!"

"...Lavi will never marry you."

"...Heh... Not if there are people in the way of letting it happen..." Tyki said with an evil glint in his eyes. Bookman backed up as he made a move to grab his needles. Unfortunately for him, Tyki was faster and managed to knock the old man out as he hit him to a tree. Tyki laughed as he tied the man up to a tree. Neah looked at the old man in worry as he followed Tyki back to the village.

As soon as they were out of sight, an old lady walked out. She rushed to Bookman's sides to see his injuries. Sighing, she untied him and carried him back to her little camp area where she tended to his wounds and let him rest. She also gave him some medicine for a tiny cold that he had. Soon, he woke up and looked at her.

"Ah... Hevlaska... Thank you for helping me... We need to get to the village..." Bookman said trying to get up. He winced as he pulled on some sore muscles. Hevlaska gently pushed him back down.

"Rest for now... There is no rush. Lavi is going to be fine. We'll go back as soon as you feel better." Hevlaska said as Bookman reluctantly listened to her orders.

 

**~**********~**

 

Lavi rubbed his eyes with a sigh and looked to the door as he heard a soft knock.

"Hello? Who's there?" Lavi asked as he opened the door. There he saw a tea set with no one in sight. He frowned as he looked down at the tea set once again and almost jumped away as he found who had knocked.

"I am terribly sorry! I didn't mean to scare you! P-please forgive me!" The tea pot cried as Lavi looked at it in shock and surprise.

"I... What- Who are you? How can you talk?" Lavi asked as his curiosity won fear. 

"Oh! I'm sorry for not introducing myself! My name is Miranda! I am a servant here in this castle. That is... Until that happened..." Miranda said as Lavi was further intrigued.

"Miranda! You know better than to talk about that!" A little tea cup said as it hopped up next to Miranda.

"Oh dear! I'm terribly sorry! This little one is Timothy."

"Hello there! You must be the one that will save all of us and Kanda from the curse!" Timothy said as Miranda panicked.

"Curse? Is that why you guys are inanimate objects?" Lavi asked as Miranda nodded hesitantly. Suddenly the wardrobe behind him shifted awake and looked over at the boy. Long piece of cloth circled around Lavi's waist and pulled him over to the wardrobe. It leaned over as if taking a close look at him and straightened up and let Lavi go.

"I always knew that Kanda was into boys!" It said as a feather duster came flying into the room giggling.

"Don't be so loud now Johnny. You don't want Kanda to hear do you?" The feather duster said.

"Eek! Please don't tell him I said that please! I'm begging you Lenalee!" The wardrobe said as pieces of blue cloth fell out of it like tears would. The feather duster giggled again as she landed on Lavi's bed.

"My name is Lenalee. The wardrobe there is Johnny. Sorry if we gave you a bit of a scare... It's been a while since someone has been here after all." Lenalee said as she flew around the room dusting random places she deemed as dusty.

"So there are more here that are actually humans but look like inanimate objects?" Lavi asked as he watched Lenalee fly around in awe.

"Yes. Many more than there should be... Now we should get you changed shouldn't we? Johnny? Do your best!" Lenalee said as Johnny perked up and pulled Lavi back over to him. As clothes flew everywhere, Lavi was put into a ridiculously fancy dress. Lavi blushed as he took a look at himself in a provided mirror.

"U-um... Johnny? Why did you put me in a dress when I'm a guy?" Lavi asked trying to turn in the dress. Unfortunately, the corset that was put on him was a bit too tight. He watched as the wardrobe tilted as if taking a look at his work in confusion.

"Oh... It seems that I made a mistake... Ahh... I'm sorry... I'm a bit sleepy... Wake me up later and I'll try again..." Johnny said with a yawn as he closed his doors and went still again. Lavi managed to slip out under the dress with ease and looked to the wardrobe in concern.

"Is he alright?" Lavi asked Lenalee as she also sighed.

"Yeah he is... Anyway, for now just change into what you see fit. We will be back for you in time for dinner." Lenalee said as she left with Miranda and Timothy.

Lavi nodded to himself as he went over to the pile of clothes and picked out black leggings and white shorts. He then went to a different pile to pick out a dark green long sleeve shirt and a black bandanna for his hair. He adjusted his eye patch as a piece of cloth caught his eye. He made his way over to it to find out it was a single long red scarf. Lavi smiled as he wrapped it around his neck and snuggling into it. A loud knock made him jump and look back to the door. He made his way over to the door and was about to open it when a voice spoke out.

"Erm... Would you hurry up in there and come down for dinner already?!" Yelled Kanda from the other side. Lavi frowned as he crossed his arms offended.

"Well I wouldn't join dinner with someone as rude as you." Lavi said with a huff.

"You gotta be more of a gentleman Kanda!" Komui said into Kanda's ears. Kanda grumbled as he tried again.

"Would you come down for dinner?"

".... It seems like you also lack some manners for a gentleman..." Lavi replied with a tiny smile.

"Kanda. Gentleman. What don't you understand about that?" Komui said as Kanda growled.

"It would give me great honor if you would join me for dinner..."

"Say please!"

"...please?"

"So sincere." Lavi said trying to hold in a giggle. He was about to open the door when Kanda suddenly lashed out.

"You know what!? You can stay in there forever! I don't care! Starve for all I care!" Kanda said as he stomped off down the hall. After a moment of silence, Lavi opened the door hesitantly.

"...I'm sorry... I was just joking with him... It seems he can't take a joke, huh?" Lavi said softly as he sunk down onto the ground. Tears began to form again as he remembered the times when he would joke with his grandfather. His lips trembled as he wipes a tear that escaped from his eye.

Somewhere in the castle, Kanda made his way to his own room. He growled as he made his way to the single table top with a lotus flower encased within an hourglass and a mirror on top. A petal slowly fell off the lotus as Kanda grabbed the mirror.

"Show me the boy." Kanda said as the reflection faded to show Lavi on the floor next to an opened door crying. Kanda looked at the mirror for a second before placing it back down. He sighed as he made his way to the garden outside.

Back with Lavi, Komui placed one of his candles in front of Lavi to make him look up. Seeing that there were others around, Lavi quickly wiped his tears away. Looking at the candle holder, Lavi immediately recognized him as the one he used when he first arrived.

"Hello..." Lavi said softly.

"Hello. My name is Komui. I am the brother of Lenalee. I'm sure you've met her, yes? Though you better not have any ideas about her or else you'll suffer greatly!" Komui said as the candle on his head grew at the thought of Lavi doing things with Lenalee. Lavi looked at Komui with interest and giggled.

"You don't need to worry about that Komui. You see... I'm not entirely into girls... I'm rather into anyone as long as their nice. Like in most books with happy endings for the lovers no matter what their genders are. I just happen to have a book with two lovers that are both male actually!" Lavi said rambling. Komui nodded disinterestedly as he stopped the boy from continuing.

"Well, let's not waste any time. Let's get you down stairs for some dinner shall we?" Komui said as he made his way back down the hall and down to the dining room. Lavi nodded as he followed the candle holder. He tried to listen as Komui mumbled to himself, but he was too distracted by the castle's structure. What he didn't know was that Komui was planning something just for him during dinner.

As they reached the dining hall, Lavi heard voices from another room along with a piano. Being the curious person he was he went over to see who it was. There in the middle of what looks like a ballroom was a grand piano. Flying above the piano was a feather duster and on the ground running around was a long short chair.

"Oh, Lavi! Come here and meet these two." The feather duster Lavi recognized as Lenalee called.

"Hello there. I'm Lavi." Lavi said looking at the piano that stopped playing.

"Nice to meet you Lavi. I'm Allen. The chair on the floor is Timcampy. He was a dog before the curse, so he only barks." The piano said as the chair barked joyfully. Lavi giggled as he bent down and petted the chair rubbing itself on his leg. 

"You should head to dinner Lavi. I heard my brother has something special for you." Lenalee said as she floated over to the door. Lavi followed after her into the dining room. He saw Komui waving him over to a seat at the end of the table. He sat down in the chair and was pushed in gently. Komui whistled and plates and cup all flew out and landed in front of Lavi. Spoons, knives, and forks landed on napkins as they were placed down beside the plates. Lavi clapped as everything settled down and he started to dig into his food. Komui came up to his cup and poured what looked like tea into it.

Dinner is served. Jerry's cooking is the best, yes?" Komui asked as he watched Lavi take a bite of the steak. Lavi's eye widened he swallowed the piece.

"This is delicious! Give my appreciation to the cook please." Lavi said taking another bite of the steak.

"Please give the tea a taste as well." Komui said hiding a mischievous grin. Lavi looked at the teacup and sipped at the liquid. Soon he chugged the entire cup down and sighed in satisfaction. Komui waited in anticipation for a reaction, but after a few moments nothing happened. Lavi finished up his dinner and stood up to explore the place. Lenalee floated down next to her brother and tilted her head at him.

"Komui? Didn't you say you had something for Lavi during dinner?" She asked as Komui nodded.

"I did give it to him, but nothing seemed to happen..." Komui said mumbling to himself.

"And what was it that you gave to him?"

"A love potion."

Lavi walked around looking at the pictures on the walls in interest. He looked towards the stairway and to the West Wing. Lavi glanced around before heading up and to the left towards the west. Looking at the walls, he noticed it seemed barer than anywhere else in the castle. Just plain while trimmed with dark blue paint. Lavi reached a door larger than his own for his room. Hesitantly, he reached for the door knob and slowly opened the door. Peeking inside, he saw that is was a large bedroom with a terrace. He stepped inside and looked at the shredded walls and paintings. The bed was the only neat part of the room. A shine from the corner of his eye turned his attention to a table with an hourglass on it. Making his way over to it, he saw that instead of sand inside of the glass, it was a lotus flower. At the bottom were many fallen petals of said flower. Just before he could touch the hourglass, a large hand grabbed his shoulders and turned him around. 

"What are you doing in here?!" Kanda yelled as Lavi yelped at his loud voice. Kanda glared at the boy as he glanced at the hourglass in concern.

"I- I didn't touch anything! I swear I didn't!" Lavi said afraid that he made the other mad. Of course, he would be mad if someone waltz their way into a room he told them not to go to.

"You know what you could've done if I hadn't stopped you?! You could've doomed everyone in this castle!"

"I'm sorry! If you had told me the reason as to why I shouldn't go to the West Wing, then I probably would've stayed away!"

"Get out!"

"But-!"

"GET OUT!"

Lavi backed away slowly before fleeing from the room. Lavi ran through the hall and down the stairs to the front doors of the castle. He put on his coat in haste and opened the door. He turned around as he heard someone call out his name. It was Lenalee and Komui on a cart with Miranda and Timothy.

"Where are you going? It's dangerous to go out alone!" Lenalee said her words laced with worry.

"I'm... I'm just going for a walk. I'll be back shortly." Lavi said as he closed the door behind him and ran out into the forest.

 

Kanda sighed as he sat down in a chair and looked at the door with a frown.

"Good job. You just lost your chances with possibly the only person in the world who could have lifted the spell." A doll sitting on the bed said and Kanda could feel it rolling its eyes at him.

"I know I did Road. No need to rub it in." Kanda growled. Road stood up and draped herself over his shoulders.

"What are you waiting for then?"

"What?"

"Go after him!"

"Why should I?"

"She's right, Yuu-kun." A painting canvas on an isle said as it made its way over to the two.

"Tch. What do you mean old man?" The canvas sighed as a paint brush started to draw something on it. Kanda watched as a picture was soon formed and his eyes widened. I was a painting of Lavi in the woods. His shining emerald eye was dull and lifeless as dark red stained the snow around him. There was a pack of wolves that surrounded his body and Kanda could almost imagine Lavi's screams before his last breath. Immediately, he stood up and rushed out of the room to catch up to the redhead before he left the castle.

"Where is he?" Kanda asked as he reached the main floor. Lenalee and Komui looked at Kanda in surprise before answering his question.

"If you mean Lavi, he said he was going out for a walk just now..." Komui said.

"What did you do this time?" Lenalee asked crossing her arms and frowning at the beast. 

"He freaked out when Lavi came into his room and came two feet too close to the hourglass. He basically ruined his chances with him." Road answered for Kanda. She was still hanging onto his shoulder for dear life.

"Well... It's not too late. Lavi did say he would be back. He didn't say he was leaving forever... Maybe he thought that you needed some space? Or maybe he wanted to wait till you calmed down?" Miranda said softly as if she would get in trouble for speaking out.

"Perhaps Miranda here is correct. You should go find him before he gets himself killed!" Road said pulling on Kanda's fur. Kanda growled but complied and set out after the redhead.

 

Lavi walked aimlessly around the stark white forest. He had left the castle for a while now, but he was still afraid that Kanda was still angry. He sighed as he reached a small clearing. A small frozen pond was directly in the middle of the clearing. Lavi made his way over to the pond and looked down. There was a thin layer of ice covering the pond with little fish swimming underneath. Lavi smiled as he watched the fish swim. He then heard a growl behind him and turned around to see he was surrounded by wolves. He tried to back up, but he only managed to step into the pond and fall back into the freezing water. Unfortunate for him, the wolves took the chance to pounce on him.

Lavi thrashed around trying to get the wolves off of him. One of them managed to bite down on his shoulder and he let out a shriek so loud he thought he destroyed his vocal cords. With a rush of adrenaline, he pushed the wolf off of him and stumbled out of the pond. Another wolf lunged at him and pinned him to the ground as it sunk its teeth into his clothes and ripped them to pieces. Suddenly, the weight of the wolf was thrown off of him as a loud roar emitted from above him. He heard the wolves whimper and run away as he started to lose consciousness. He felt large hands cradle his body close to a warm torso. The last thing he saw before he fell into darkness were eyes, as dark as the night, full of worry looking down on him.

 

Kanda panted as he looked around frozen tundra of a forest. He had tried tracking down the redhead by following his footprints, but with the amount of wild animals in the forest, it wasn't the easiest of tasks. Kanda sighed in frustration and was about to head back when he heard a shriek near the small pond he used to go to for some peaceful quiet times. He cursed under his breath and rushed over to the clearing. He heard some splashes of water as something struggled with the wolves. Said thing was Lavi and he managed to get out, but was pinned to the ground again. He reached the clearing and threw the wolf off of the boy and roared at menacingly as he could. The wolves whimpered before running away from the two. 

"Oh... Eyepatch there isn't looking too good. You should hurry and bring him back to the castle." Road said as she looked down at Lavi.

Kanda looked down and flinched at the amount of blood seeping onto the ground out of the redhead's shoulder. Kanda carefully pulled the boy close to him and looked at him in his eye. His emerald eye looked back at him before closing. Kanda picked up the body and ran back to the castle. 

Kanda burst through the doors and headed up stair to his room immediately. Lenalee looked at the others with a face full of concern before following Kanda. Kanda place the unconscious boy softly on the bed and went to the bathroom for some bandages and disinfection liquid. After tending to the wound and cleaning the blood off the boy, he sat down on the edge of the bed and watched the boy's condition. Lavi looked paler than he already was and was shivering slightly. He dressed the boy in a sweater, big enough to be a dress for the redhead, and some saggy pants. Then he tucked him into the bed with a large blanket. Lavi snuggled into the warmth with a small smile on his face. After a moment of silence, Lavi opened his uncovered eye.

"... Sorry about earlier." Lavi apologized. Kanda scoffed as he continued to sit next to the boy.

"There's nothing that you should be apologizing for... I was just over reacting." Kanda said as he scratched his head. He could see some of the castle servants off in the corner spying on them and rolled his eyes at their antics.

"Thank you for saving me... I was sure I was dead meat for a moment there. Hehe... Come to think of it, animals have never bothered me before today. I guess they suddenly felt the need to attack me."

"Hm? What do you mean?"

"Whenever I go into the forest, I usually feed the wild animals the extra food supplies from our garden. I also buy some fresh meat for the wolves. They seem to know who I am every time I come through the forest since they trail me and rub against my legs..."

"... Did you happen to eat or drink something that made you feel weird at any time during your stay in this castle?"

"Um... Komui did pour me some tea I didn't know... The steak was delicious that I didn't think it was tampered... That's all I had when they served me dinner..." 

"Komui... He probably switched out your drink with one of his potions."

"Is that so... I guess that's why the wolves attacked?"

"Stupid rabbit..."

"What? I am not a stupid rabbit!"

Kanda smirked at Lavi as he pouted. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he thought that Lavi might just be the one that will save them all from the curse.

 

The next day, Lavi and Kanda spent the entire day together. They ate breakfast next to each other instead of on opposite ends of the table, they took a walk through the front garden, they fed the wild animals in the forest, and they had a snowball fight. Then they headed inside and ate lunch; Lavi teaching Kanda some proper table manners while still being casual. Kanda then got the idea of showing Lavi the library. As expected, Lavi stared at the shelves and shelves of books in awe.

"If you ever feel bored... you can always come here." Kanda said slightly amused by Lavi's excitement.

"Really?! Oh thank you! Thank you so much!" Lavi said as he brushed his fingers against the many books.

"... There's this other room and inside lies a special book. Would you like to check it out?" Kanda asked as Lavi perked up hearing the word 'special'. Kanda swore he saw sparkles in Lavi's eye as he returned to Kanda's side immediately.

"Yes!"

Kanda led Lavi to the back of the library where a door was hidden behind a bookcase. He opened the door and let Lavi head up the stair before him. At the top, Lavi stared at the circular room in awe. The roof was a map of the stars and constellations while the walls were covered in different planets and asteroids. In the middle of the room was a pedestal with a floating book on top. Lavi and Kanda stood before the book as Lavi looked at Kanda expectantly.

"This book will allow you to travel to any place you want to. Anywhere; whether it be fictional or real. Think of the place then place your hand on the book." Kanda said as Lavi thought carefully. After a moment, Lavi placed his hand on the book. Kanda followed and placed his hand over Lavi's. The room disappeared as the two ended up in a desolated village of some sort. Lavi looked around and began to wander.

"This is smaller than I thought it would have been..." Lavi said as he peeked into one of the houses. There was only broken dishes and a ripped up bed in the corner. Lavi frowned as he walked onto the next house.

"Where is this?" Kanda asked.

"This is what I suppose is my home village... You see, I lost my memories from when I was ages one to six. The last thing I remember from at the time was waking up on some sort of riverbed on the outskirts of a town. That's where my gramps found me."

"You aren't blood related to him?"

"Not that I know of. I don't even know my own parents... The only thing I know is that my name was Lavi and I've had this eye covered from before I met gramps. It was covered in gauze when he found me."

"So that means you've had it covered since you were younger than six... Do you know the story behind it?"

"No... When my grandfather checked it out, he looked at it in surprise before wrapping it back up. He never told me what it was, but he did tell me to never take off my eye patch." Lavi peeked inside another house. This time there was clothes all over the ground as well as some rotten food items. Upon further inspection, Lavi saw that there were some bones sticking out of the ground. He winced before heading to the house across from there.

"What are you looking for?" Kanda asked as he followed the redhead closely.

"I'm looking for a sign that my parents actually lived here. Ah!" Lavi entered a house and looked at the wall. There were broken picture frames with different pictures in each. In one of them, a beautiful young lady with bright red hair and brownish red eyes was hugging the arm of a tall black haired man with bright green eyes. A baby was cradled in the arms of the man; black hair with brown eyes. In another photo were two young children carrying a baby in their arms. One of them had blond hair and blue eyes while the other had red hair and brown eyes. The baby in their arms had red hair and its eyes were closed. The last photo was of a boy with red hair making a face where both his eyes were closed.

"Kind of looks like you." Kanda said looking at the photos. Lavi smiled as he took out the photos and stuffed them in his pocket. He then spotted something sticking out of a pile of dirt. Walking over to it, Lavi dug the item up and found a small flat box. Opening it up, he found a journal inside. He took a moment and read through the content. Lavi gasped as he shut the book suddenly.

"What's wrong?" Kanda asked worried. Lavi looked at Kanda with a wide eye.

"I... I'm basically a zombie! The book said that... All three children died during crossfire of the battle around here and they were able to reanimate all three at the cost of the whole village... Their youngest was named Lavi..." Lavi answered as he started to shake. Kanda noticed and awkwardly patted Lavi on the back as a sign of comfort. Lavi giggle as he leaned into the embrace.

They returned shortly after and Lavi stuffed the notebook back in the box along with the photos and put them in his room. They ate lunch with few comments and went to their own rooms. Kanda was forced to take a bath by Komui and friends while Lavi took his own bath. Kanda wore a formal suit while Lavi was put into a beautiful gown as Lenalee put it. Lavi begrudgingly let the ladies do what they wanted for the night. It was a dark red dress with a little touch of golden designs. Lavi admitted that he looked good with it as Lenalee giggled.

They met up in the ballroom as soon as they finished dressing up. Kanda made a snarky remark about the dress and Lavi playfully punched his arm. Allen started to play a soothing song and the two of them danced along to it. Kanda led Lavi up to his room where he explained what the hourglass was. He then gave Lavi the magic hand mirror he used the day before and let Lavi see his grandfather.

It started with the scene of Bookman and Tyki in the woods. Lavi gasped as his grandfather was knocked out by Tyki and tied up to a tree. He sighed in relief when he saw Hevlaska taking care of him. Then it changed to the tavern where Bookman confronted Tyki. Tyki managed to convince the other villagers that the old man was just out of his mind. Two villagers grabbed hold of Bookman and dragged him into a cell carriage outside.

"Gramps is in trouble now and it's all Tyki's fault! If not for Lady Hevlaska, he could've died! We need to do something!" Lavi growled as he turned to Kanda with a desperate eye. Kanda looked long and hard at the redhead before sighing.

"Go." Kanda said as he made his way to the terrace.

"What?"

"I said go you stupid rabbit. Go to him."

"But what are you and the others? You're running out of time fast!"

"Don't worry about us. The only family you have out there is about to be taken away. Think for yourself right now. Take the mirror with you. Now go!"

Lavi hesitated before hugging Kanda tightly and running down stairs. The others in the castle watched sadly as the redhead left the castle. Lavi jumped on a random horse he found out in the front yard and rode it back to the village, forgetting he was wearing a dress.

"Lenalee! Why did Kanda let Lavi leave? They were having so much fun together!" Timothy asked the feather duster. Lenalee shook her head and looked to the doors.

"He let him go because he loved him..." She said as she hugged her brother tightly.

 

**~**********~**

 

Bookman stirred away as the sun hit his eyes. He turned to his side where Hevlaska was packing up her material. He sat up just as she finished packing up. Seeing that Bookman was awake, she passed him a plate of steaming breakfast. Bookman accepted the food and they ate in silence.

"Are you feeling up for some traveling?" Hevlaska asked as they finished their food up.

"Of course I am." He answered while tucking his arms into the sleeves of his shirt. Hevlaska nodded as they stood and started to make their way back to the village.

By the time they made it back to the village, it was already getting dark. They entered the tavern and sat down at a table. The people in the tavern at the time crowded the old man in concern.

"Tyki Mikk was the one who left me in the forest to fend for myself. Hevlaska here saved me and tended to my wounds." Bookman said as the ones listening gasped in horror.

"Tyki did that?" Asked a lady.

"Why would he have done that...?" Asked a baker.

"Are you sure it was Tyki who did it?" Asked a fashion designer.

"Who else could have done it? Tyki was the last one seen with Bookman. The fact that Tyki came back with only Neah in tow is suspicious enough..." Doug said as he leaned against the wall. Right at that moment, Tyki entered the tavern followed by Neah. Everyone looked toward the huntsman warily.

"What's wrong everyone?" Tyki asked aware of the heavy atmosphere.

"Tyki... Is it true that you tried to kill Bookman here?" A woman asked.

"W-what? Now why would I do that?"

"Why indeed..." A man this time said.

"What proof do you have of me doing such injustice actions?" Tyki asked smirking at the crowd.

"Hevlaska was there when it happened." Bookman said as Hevlaska nodded.

"Hevlaska? You're going to believe the village crazy lady?" Everyone looked troubled as they looked between Tyki and Bookman. Bookman's eyes then turned to Neah.

"Neah was there too. I'm sure he'll tell the truth." Bookman said as he looked at Neah. Everyone turned their attention to Neah this time. Neah fidgeted with the eyes on him as he looked at Tyki.

"Yeah... I'm sure my good old pal here will surely tell the truth.  _Right, Neah_?" Tyki said smiling at Neah. Neah flinched and nodded his head at the crowd.

"Tyki didn't do such things..." Neah said softly as he watched Bookman's stare harden. Tyki chuckled and looked toward Bookman.

"It seems to me that you're just out of your mind, Bookman... Ever since Lavi ran away, you've been saying a beast had taken him and now you're saying that I tried to kill you? You've gone crazy... Take him away to the Asylum." Tyki said to two officers behind him. They came forward and grabbed Bookman by the arms and dragged him out to a carriage. Bookman looked at Neah as he passed him.

"This is your entire fault." Bookman said before he entered the carriage. Neah clenched his fists in guilt and watched as the carriage doors were shut. 

"Wait!" Yelled out a familiar voice from ahead of them. They all looked towards the voice to see it was Lavi... And he was in a dress. Lavi stopped the horse and hopped off its back. He headed over to the carriage and the others.

"Let my grandfather go." Lavi said furiously.

"I'm sorry mademoiselle, but I'm afraid we can't do that." Said one of the officers. Lavi looked at him confused before looking down at his dress and blushed in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry, but I am not a lady. I am a male. And why is it that you can't let him go?"

"That's because he is crazy."

"My grandfather is not crazy!"

"Lavi? Is that you?" Bookman asked from inside the carriage. Lavi looked over and smiled at his.

"The one and only!" Lavi said as Bookman scoffed. Tyki made his way to the front of the crowd and stared at Lavi for quite a while. He snapped out of it when Lavi turned and glared at him.

"You! You left my gramps to die out in the forest! If it wasn't for Lady Hevlaska, I would've had no family left in this world!" Lavi said with venom in his words. Tyki's eyes widened slightly before stepping forward in fake relief.

"Oh Lavi! You're back! And presenting yourself in front of us with that beautiful dress as well... I think I fell even harder for you, lovely." Tyki said as he grabbed Lavi by the waist and pulled him close. Lavi scowled and pushed Tyki off of him.

"You know... It's a shame about your grandfather there... Kept on saying you were taken by a beast...We could call off the misunderstanding if you agree to marry me..." Tyki whispered in Lavi's ears. Lavi looked at him incredulously.

"What?"

"Just one word, lovely."

"Never!"

"Have it your way then." Tyki said as he walked away from the redhead slowly. Lavi turned to the crowd and pulled out the magic mirror.

"I'll prove to you that my grandfather is not crazy! Show me Kanda!" Lavi said as the mirror produced an image of Kanda looking out into the distance.

"I-is he dangerous?" A little child asked. Lavi shook his head and a gentle smile formed on his face.

"He's gentle and kind. He loves to take care of his garden and he may look all tough on the outside, but he's actually sweet on the inside..." Doug recognized the look on Lavi's face as one that he always wore talking about some he loved.

"If I knew any better, I'd think you had feelings for the beast." Tyki mumbled as he tried to grab the mirror from Lavi's hand. Lavi dodged his attempt and glared at him.

"So what if I said I do?" Lavi said blushing slightly.

"He's as crazy as the old man!" Tyki said trying to grab the mirror from the redhead again and failed.

"Oh. You're so jealous, aren't you? You just want me to only have feelings for you and marry you!" Lavi said looking smug. Tyki scowled as he lunged for the mirror.

"The beast will take your children away! He'll kill every one of us until there is none left! We must kill him before he gets the chance!" Tyki said to the villagers and they agreed.

"No! He won't do such things!" Lavi yelled as he tried to stop the crowd. Tyki grabbed his wrist and tied his arms behind him after taking the mirror away. Lavi yelped as he was thrown over Tyki's shoulder. Lavi struggled to get away from Tyki, but Tyki held him firmly as he climbed onto his horse.

"Show me the way to the beast." Tyki said to the mirror. He began to lead the villagers to the castle of the beast. He didn't notice that his trusty partner stayed behind. Neah silently crept up on the two officers and knocked them both out. He grabbed the keys from one of them and opened the cell for Bookman. Bookman came out and looked at Neah with a smile.

"Let's get going." Bookman said as he unlatched the horses from the carriage.

 

**~**********~**

 

"Let me go, Tyki!" Lavi yelled as he struggled on Tyki's shoulder.

"No can do, lovely. If I do let you go now, you'll fall into the dirt and ruin your dress!" Tyki said dramatically. Lavi growled as he continued to struggle. They were already in the snowy part of the forest. The villagers behind them continued to chant 'Kill the beast!' as they trampled through the forest. As soon as Lavi saw the castle, he struggled harder.

"Oh! Miranda! Is that Lavi?" Timothy asked when he saw a light outside. Miranda peeked through the curtains only to see a crowd of angry villagers. She shrieked and rolled the cart away.

"E-EVERYONE! ANGRY VILLAGERS OUTSIDE!! LAVI IS BEING CARRIED ON THE SHOULDER OF THE ONE IN THE LEAD!!!" Miranda yelled out getting everyone's attention. Allen immediately went to block the front door up as everyone helped blockade it. They soon went into hiding as the villagers knocked open the door. They piled in and waited in anticipation. They were confused when they saw nothing there. A baker walked up to a candle holder and feather duster. He grabbed the feather duster and that's when the chaos started.

"YOU DARE TOUCH MY DARLING SISTER?! I'LL KILL EVERYONE THAT SO MUCH AS TOUCHES HER!!!" Komui yelled as he burned the hand holding Lenalee. The baker screamed and backed away as the fire from Komui's head burned brighter and bigger. 

Timothy began throwing plates down at the villagers to scare them while Miranda poured boiling hot water down upon them apologizing at the rate a humming bird flaps its wings. Lenalee and the other feather dusters dropped things from up above and tripped anyone not paying attention to their feet. Reever helped Komui throw down random potions Komui didn't label and activated on Komurin XXVIII. Tyki growled as he made his way through the fight and up the stairs with Lavi still on his shoulders. Road hid behind a small pillar as they passed before throwing a container of thumbtacks down the stairs. Three men started to climb the stairs after Tyki, but stepped onto the thumbtacks. They growled as they watched Road laugh from her place.

"Get 'er!" One of the men said as they tried to grab Road. Road stepped away from them only to find she stepped on air. She started to fall down when someone caught her. She looked to see it was Neah who caught her.

"Uncle Neah!" Road said as Neah put her on his shoulders.

"Huh? Is that you Road?" Neah asked looking at the doll.

"Yep! Did you come to help?"

"I did indeed. Let's beat some sense into these villagers shall we?"

"Yeah!"

Allen made his way out of the ballroom and started to fling piano keys at the villagers while Timcampy ran around tripping people. Johnny came out of the bedroom and started to dress people up so they couldn't move. They managed to chase them out of the castle and were currently in the front yard making sure no one comes back. Bookman and Hevlaska made their way up the stairs, being careful of the thumbtacks. On the rooftops, Kanda watched everything unfold. He had saw Lavi tied up and being carried on the shoulder of the leader. He growled as he heard footstep approaching.

"So you must be the beast that Lavi is so infatuated with..." Tyki said as Lavi continued to struggle on his shoulder.

"He's not a beast! Nor is he a monster!" Lavi said as Tyki shifted him so that he was now standing, but still in Tyki's grasp.

"Let him go." Kanda said in a low voice.

"I won't let him go until I kill you and get rid of the curse you put on him. I am the one he will marry and the only one he will belong to." Tyki said glaring at Kanda.

"Lavi is not an object! Let him go!" Lavi watched as Tyki pulled something out of his pocket. His eyes widened when he saw is was one of his teez. 

"No! Yuu dodge!" Lavi yelled as he struggled against Tyki's hold. Kanda jumped to the left as a black butterfly shot through his shoulder. He hissed in pain before jumping at the man. Tyki jumped back and shot another teez at Kanda. Kanda took the butterfly to right leg and continued forward. Afraid he'll hurt Lavi, he only used small attacks. Tyki growled as he jumped to the terrace to Kanda's room and place Lavi down. Tyki then jumped back to the previous platform and attacked with 100 teez this time. Kanda didn't have enough time to dodge them all and took the hits to hit body. Kanda landed on the terrace of this room and grunted in pain. Lavi gasped as blood flowed out of the holes in the beast. Tyki landed on the terrace with a devious grin, one that looked too inhumane. Lavi back away from him as Tyki made his way over to him.

"What's wrong, lovely?" Tyki asked with the smile still present on his face.

"Stay away from me, Tyki!" Lavi yelled as his back hit the wall behind him.

"It's all that beast's fault. He put you under his spell to get you to stay with him forever... Don't worry Lavi; I'll save you from this monster." Tyki said caressing Lavi's cheek with his free hand. Lavi looked to the other hand to see a teez pointed directly... At him. Lavi froze in fear as Tyki placed the teez above where his heart was. He closed his eye tightly and waited for the pain. He waited for a full minute before slowly opening his eye to a shocked Tyki.

"W-what... How... C-could this be? I w-was so sure you were.... As good as... Dead..." Tyki said as he coughed up blood and stumbled. There was a sword pierced right through Tyki's chest and the one holding said sword was Kanda. Kanda pulled the sword out and kicked Tyki off the edge of his terrace before falling to his knees. Lavi kneed his way over to Kanda since his arms were still tied up.

"Are you... Alright?" Kanda asked between breaths of air. Lavi nodded as he reached the other's side.

"I should be the one to ask you that! Please don't die..." Lavi pleaded as tears started to form in his eye. He suddenly felt the ropes tying him up become loose and he set his arms free to help the injured Kanda. He laid him down so that he wasn't putting any pressure on any of his wounds. 

"Heh... I don't have much time left... Look for yourself..." Kanda said pointing to the hourglass. The once big and pretty flower was now only three petals. Two of the three were barely hanging on. Lavi choked on a sob as he looked down at Kanda.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Yuu..." Lavi cried as he laid his head on Kanda's chest.

Outside in the front yard, Johnny yawned as he fought to stay awake.

"I'm sorry everyone... I'm afraid I can't stay awake any longer... Goodbye my friends..." Johnny said as he returned to a regular wardrobe.

"Brother... I'm scared..." Lenalee said as Komui laid he gently on the ground.

"I know Lenalee... I'm sorry..." Komui whispered as the feather duster became inanimate.

"Ah... I guess this is the end..." Allen grunted as he stilled. Timcampy whimpered next to his master as he also stopped moving.

"Well old buddy... It was nice working for you." Reever said as he looked at Komui still holding onto his sister's body. He closed his eyes and let the curse do its job.

"Yeah. I guess this is our final goodbye then... Goodbye my best friend..." Komui said as his fire slowly died.

"Uncle Neah... I'm so glad... I got to see you... I miss... Daddy...." Road croaked out as she became limp in Neah's hand. Neah smiled sadly as a tear rolled down his face and onto the lifeless doll.

Lavi sobbed as Kanda patted his head soothingly. Bookman and Hevlaska watched the heart touching scene in silence. Lavi lifted his face up and looked at Kanda. He smiled at the dying beast and raised his hand to caress his face. Just as the last petal fell, Kanda whispered out his feelings for the redhead.

"I love you..." Lavi placed his forehead on Kanda's.

"I love you too, Yuu..." Lavi said as he gave Kanda a soft and chaste kiss on the lips. 

Hevlaska smiled gently as she walked up to the hourglass. She waved her hand and all the fallen petals floated as they gathered back into a lotus. The hourglass was flipped and renewed. Hevlaska shed her coat off and revealed to Lavi and Bookman that she was an enchantress. The whole room was filled with light as three objects were turned back into humans. All of the objects outside also reverted back into humans as the whole castle erupted into cheers.

Lavi looked down at Kanda just was started to glow. All the fur disappeared and left a pale man with long black hair and a sharp looking face. All of the wounds he received also disappeared. Kanda opened his dark eyes and looked up to a awed Lavi. He smirked as he sat up and pulled Lavi close to him.

"You know... I can't take you seriously when you're still wearing that dress." Kanda said as Lavi blushed the same color of his hair. Lavi punch Kanda playfully before he hugged the other man. Kanda smiled gently as he hugged the redhead.

"Oh~! Kanda's in love!" Said a voice behind them. They looked over to a guy with a cloak on and face paint under his eyes. Behind him was a crying old man and a tall blind man.

"Congratulations, Kanda." Said the tall blind man.

"My dear son is growing up!!! Yuu-kun! You did a great job at picking your beloved!!" Cried the old man. Lavi giggled as he watched Kanda softly blush and yell at the three. Kanda huffed as he stood up with the help of Lavi.

"Hey! I say we host a ball tomorrow night!" The one known as Daisya said.

"Great idea! It'll be in honor of my future son-in-law!" Tiedoll, the old man, said. The blind one, Marie, just nodded along. Lavi looked over and smiled as he spotted Bookman. He went over to him and hugged him tightly. Lavi looked at him expectantly.

"Hm... Well, I guess he has my approval." Bookman said before he was crushed in a bear hug from Lavi.

"Thank you! Oh! That reminds me that I found something interesting earlier today... I wanted to show you it, but that can wait for tomorrow. For now let's get some rest!" Lavi said as he looked at Kanda. Kanda nodded in agreement and flopped down in his bed. Lavi led his grandfather back to his room while the others went to their respective rooms.

 

**~**********~**

 

The next morning, everyone in the castle was up and celebrating. Children were outside playing in the now unfrozen garden, the servants were talking happily as they cleaned the castle up, and Jerry was making breakfast with a gigantic smile.

"It's so nice to have my hands on actual pots and pans!" Jerry said as Lenalee made coffee behind him.

"Yes. It's nice to see everyone's face once again." Lenalee giggled as she carried a tray of coffee off to the underground lab.

"Lenalee-chan!! You're as beautiful and cute as any other day!!!" Komui said from behind his desk. Lenalee laughed as she placed a mug of coffee on his desk.

"Komui! Get back to work!" Reever yelled from behind a pile of paperwork. He thanked Lenalee as she gave him a mug.

"Well, good luck with the paperwork, brother." Lenalee said as she went back up stairs.

"Oh! Good morning, Mr. Bookman! Are you here for Lavi?" Lenalee asked when she saw who was at the front entrance.

"Yes, but knowing the stupid boy, he's still asleep or bothering Kanda. Am I right?" Bookman asked as he hung his coat near the door.

"Indeed! How did your morning observations go?"

"The entire forest is back to being green and pollen-filled. It's like it was never frozen in the first place."

"That's nice! Now the wolves won't be too aggressive!" Bookman nodded as he headed up stairs. He arrived at Lavi's room and entered to find no one inside. He sighed and made his way to Kanda's room. There he found Lavi shaking Kanda gently as Kanda grumbled and buried himself further into the blankets. Lavi chuckled as he flopped himself over the bundle of blankets with Kanda giving a grunt.

"Get off of me you stupid rabbit." Kanda grunted as he pushed Lavi off of him. Lavi laughed as he heard someone clear their voice. He turned around and smiled when he saw it was Bookman.

"Hey gramps!" Lavi said as he got off the bed.

"Didn't you have something to show me?" Bookman asked as Lavi waved goodbye to the sleepy prince.

"Yeah... Come on. It's in my room." Lavi said as they headed back to his room. He let himself and his grandfather into the room and locked the doors. He grabbed the box off his desk and handed it to Bookman who grabbed it warily. Lavi nodded in encouragement as Bookman glanced at him. The old man slowly opened the box and stared at the photos and journal in confusion. His eyes widened as he looked at the photos. He then turned his attention to the journal. Opening it to the first of three pages, he read it in his head.

 

_'Dear Lavi,_

_I know you probably won't even find this journal in the future, but I want to make sure that you have some sort of story for your forgotten childhood memories. Let's start with your family. I am your father. I go by the name of Luke. There's your mother, Ashley. You have an older brother and adopted sister, Deak and Lala. You three were killed the other day when you were caught in the crossfire of a fight outside the village. They brought your bodies back to your mother and I. It was horrible. We did our best to try and reanimate your bodies, but nothing worked. For the time being, we put your bodies in frozen tanks to reserve you.'_

_'Dear Lavi,_

_Your mother had an encounter with an enchantress. She told her about you and your siblings and the enchantress said that she's willing to help us, but we can only resurrect one of you. The enchantress gave us three days to decide who we want to resurrect. We are torn between choosing any of you... I only hope we can choose by the deadline._

_We have spoken with the enchantress and she has agreed to resurrect all three of you. She did warn us that it will come with a huge cost. Your mother and I didn't care. We only wanted to have our precious children back to life... She cast a spell on all three of you and you all had beating hearts once more. We cried that night in happiness while the enchantress watched. She then told us what the cost was and we were once again horrified. The entire village will go through drought and have a black plague spread only to those in the area. We sat in silence for a moment until your mother walked up to the enchantress and hugged her tightly. She said thank you and gave her a basket with you inside it. She asked that she take you to a place where someone would find you and take care of you. At the time, only you were still asleep. Your siblings woke up in a daze, but were aware of their surroundings. She told them to follow the enchantress and listen to her every word. They both nodded and stood behind the enchantress that looked at us with sad faces. That was the last we saw of you and your siblings.'_

_'Dear Lavi,_

_The enchantress came back to the village a few days after everything had started. Your mother was the first to catch the plague and was bedridden. The drought already killed all of the crops that were growing at the time. I had been at your mother's side every single moment as she lay on the bed. The enchantress entered our house and looked at your mother with a sad expression. She told us that she left you near a riverbed where a man named Bookman found you. She also told us that your brother and sister were taken in by a nice man, by the name of Adam, in the far away kingdom of Ark. We thanked her as she told us that you were in good hands. She left soon after and your mother looked me in the eye. Her words were identical to my thoughts..._

_We are so glad to have you three live your lives to the fullest. But we are incredibly sorry for leaving you behind without real parents... We are sorry.'_

 

The rest of the pages seemed to be torn out. Bookman looked to Lavi and sighed as he waved for the boy to come closer. Lavi came forward only to be pulled down into a hug. Lavi leaned into the embrace and hugged the old man back tightly.

"I'm glad I found you that fateful day, Lavi. I should be thankful for your parents and Hevlaska for giving you a second chance at life with me." Bookman said as he looked up and saw Hevlaska by the door. He nodded to her and she smiled.

"Does that mean Lady Hevlaska was the enchantress that gave me life after I died?" Lavi asked looking at the woman as she nodded.

"Your siblings are still out there. Their actually closer than you might think. Adam is also part of Road's and Neah's family, so if you ask them about Deak and Lala, then you might get some information on them. For now, let's head to breakfast shall we?" Hevlaska said as she unlocked the door.

The rest of the day consisted of Lavi and Kanda hanging out and Lavi meeting everyone in their human forms. He was surprised when he saw that Allen had white hair, a scar on his face, and a deformed arm, but he just said he looked awesome instead of disgusting like other people would. He was crushed in a hug by Lenalee and Johnny at the same time as Komui laughed to the side. Reever smiled as he sipped on some coffee. Timcampy was a golden retriever who was running all over the place and following Allen everywhere. 

Then it was night time and everyone from the village arrived for the ball. Lavi was wearing a red and black suit with white shorts above black leggings with black boots that reached his knees. Kanda asked him why he didn't wear the dress and Lavi blushed as he punch his arm. The music started and everyone got into partners. Kanda and Lavi took the spot light as they danced in the middle of the room.

"You know... I wouldn't have ever met you if it weren't for Lady Hevlaska..." Lavi whispered as Kanda spun him.

"Yes... And I wouldn't have met you if she hadn't put the spell on me." Kanda said as Lavi laughed softly.

"Well, I guess you can say that Lady Hevlaska is the best match maker in the world. A boy who died and a prince who would rather be a samurai... That's a unique pairing." Lenalee said as she watched the lovebirds dance. Allen nodded as he focused on playing the piano.

"At least it's a happy ending for those two." Allen said as he played the last three notes of the song.

**Author's Note:**

> Anyone want a squeal? I'm up for it.


End file.
